The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second largest traditional festival in China after the Spring Festival. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which coincides with the half of Sanqiu, hence the name "Mid-Autumn Festival", also called "Mid-Autumn Festival". Because this festival is in autumn and August, it is also called "Autumn Festival", "August Festival" and "August Meeting". There is also a belief in praying for reunion and related festival activities, so it is also called "Reunion Festival" and "Daughter's Day". Because the main activities of the Mid-Autumn Festival are all around the moon, it is also commonly known as the Moon Festival, the Moon Festival, the Moon Festival, the Moon Festival and the Moon Festival. In the Tang Dynasty, Mid-Autumn Festival was also called "Correcting the Moon". About the origin of Mid-Autumn Festival, there are roughly three kinds: it originated from the worship of the moon in ancient times, the custom of singing and dancing under the moon to find a spouse, and it is the legacy of paying homage to the land god in ancient autumn.
Origin of the Mid-Autumn festival
The word "Mid-Autumn Festival" was first seen in Zhou Li. According to the ancient Chinese calendar, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is in the middle of August in autumn, so it is called "Mid-Autumn Festival". There are four seasons in a year, and each season is divided into three parts: Meng, Zhong and Ji. The second month in Sanqiu is called Mid-Autumn, so the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Mid-Autumn".
With the continuous development of society, the ancients endowed the moon with many legends, from the toad in the moon to the jade rabbit, from Wu Gang to the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, and the rich imagination painted a beautiful scene for the moon palace world. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, poets of Mohist poets chanted about the moon and its events in succession, and the full moon on August 15th became an excellent moment to express their feelings. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Northern Song Dynasty, the official officially designated August 15th as the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was intended to be in the middle of Sanqiu, and all the people would celebrate it at that time. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the bright moon is in the sky, and the brightness is scattered all over the earth. People regard the full moon as a symbol of reunion and August 15th as the day for family reunion. Therefore, the Mid-Autumn Festival is also called "Reunion Festival".
Mid-Autumn Festival has become an important festival in a year, and it has a very subtle relationship with the imperial examination. In feudal society of our country, it has always been a major event that the rulers attach great importance to. And the once-every-three-year autumn competition is just scheduled to be held in August. When the scenery is combined with passion, people will regard those who take the exam in senior high school as those who win the laurels in the middle of the month. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, it must be celebrated solemnly, which has become an important custom of the people of the whole society. It has been popular for generations, and the Mid-Autumn Festival has gradually become one of the three major festivals of the Han nationality in China (Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival).
Mid-autumn festival legend
The Goddess Chang's fly to the moon
According to legend, one year in ancient times, ten suns appeared in the sky, which made the earth smoke and the sea dried up, making it impossible for ordinary people to live any longer.
This incident alarmed a hero named Hou Yi, who climbed to the top of Kunlun Mountain, drew his bow and shot down nine redundant suns in one breath.
Hou Yi made great achievements in the world and was respected and loved by the people. Many people with lofty ideals came here to study as a teacher. The treacherous and cunning Peng Meng also mixed in.
Soon, Hou Yi married a beautiful and kind wife named Chang 'e. In addition to hunting, Hou Yi spent all his time with his wife, and people envied this beautiful and loving couple.
One day, Hou Yi went to Kunlun Mountain to visit friends and seek Tao. He happened to meet the Queen Mother who passed by and asked her for a pack of elixir. It is said that taking this medicine can instantly ascend to heaven and become immortal.
However, Hou Yi could not bear to leave his wife, so he had to give the immortal medicine to Chang 'e for the time being. Chang 'e hid the medicine in the treasure box of the dresser, only to be seen by Peng Meng.
Three days later, Hou Yi led his followers out hunting, and Peng Meng, who had ulterior motives, pretended to be ill and stayed.
Soon after Hou Yi led the crowd away, Peng Meng broke into the backyard of the inner house with a sword in his hand, threatening Chang 'e to hand over the elixir.
Chang 'e knew that she was no match for Peng Meng. When she was in a crisis, she made a decisive decision, turned around and opened the treasure box, took out the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp.
Chang 'e swallowed the medicine and immediately floated off the ground, rushed out of the window and flew to the sky. Because Chang 'e was concerned about her husband, she flew to the nearest moon and became a fairy.
In the evening, when Hou Yi came home, the maids cried about what happened during the day. Hou Yi was both surprised and angry, and drew his sword to kill the villains. Peng Meng had already escaped. I was so angry that Hou Yi beat his chest and screamed. The grief-stricken Hou Yi looked up at the night sky and called for the name of his beloved wife. At this time, he was surprised to find that today's moon is particularly bright and bright, and there is a swaying figure resembling Chang 'e.
Hou Yi hurriedly sent someone to Chang 'e's favorite back garden, put on a table sweetmeats, put on her favorite honey-eating fresh fruit, and made a remote sacrifice to cherish Chang 'e in the moon palace.
After hearing the news that the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon became an immortal, people set up incense tables under the moon to pray for good luck and peace to the kind Chang 'e. Since then, the custom of Yue Bai in Mid-Autumn Festival has spread among the people.
The Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon's story praises and praises E 'e with a bright attitude and gorgeous colors. Compared with the records of Chang 'e in ancient documents, it can be seen that people have done a lot of processing and modification to the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon's story, making E 'e's image as beautiful as the moon and conforming to people's pursuit of beauty. Contrary to the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, which is widely circulated in modern times, Lingxian, a series of All Ancient Chinese Texts, records the story of "Chang 'e changed into a toad": "Chang 'e, who married his wife, stole the queen mother's immortal medicine and took it to the moon. Will go to, occupy the yellow. Huang Zhan-zhi said,' Ji, you will return to your sister, and you will sail west alone. When the sky is gloomy, you will not be surprised or afraid, but you will be prosperous later.' Chang 'e entrusted herself to the moon for the sake of toads. "After Chang 'e became a toad, she was punished all day in the moon palace and lived a lonely and miserable life. Li Shangyin once lamented Chang 'e in a poem:" Chang 'e should regret stealing the elixir, and stay awake at night. "
Wugang Cutting the Laurel
Looking up at the bright moon, we can see that there are some dark shadows. In our country, it is said that this is WU GANG cutting Guangxi. In the Tang Dynasty, the myth of WU GANG cutting laurel was deduced. It is said that the laurel tree was as high as 500 feet in the middle of the month. This laurel tree is not only tall, but also has a magical self-healing function. There was a Xihe man named Wu Minggang, who was originally a woodcutter. He was obsessed with fairy tales, but he refused to concentrate on his studies all the time. Therefore, the Emperor of Heaven was so angry that he stayed in the Moon Palace and ordered him to cut down osmanthus trees in the Moon Palace, saying, "If you cut down osmanthus trees, you will get fairy tales." However, every time WU GANG cut an axe, the tree wound healed immediately. Day after day, Wu Gang's desire to cut laurel remained unfulfilled. Therefore, WU GANG cut laurel in the Moon Palace all the year round, but he could not cut down the tree. And he kept cutting it down.
Yu tu Dao Yao
According to legend, three immortals turned into three poor old people, begging for food from foxes, monkeys and rabbits. Both foxes and monkeys had food to help, but rabbits were helpless. Later, the rabbit said, "You can eat my meat!" He jumped into the fire and cooked himself. The fairy was greatly moved and sent the rabbit to the moon palace to become a jade rabbit.
Jade rabbit enters the moon palace
Legend has it that a long time ago, there was a pair of rabbits who practiced for thousands of years and became immortals. They have four lovely daughters, all of whom are pure white and clever.
One day, the Jade Emperor summoned the male rabbit to the Heavenly Palace. He reluctantly left his wife and children and went to the Heavenly Palace through the clouds. Just as it came to the worse gate, it saw the Taibai Venus leading the heavenly generals to walk away with Chang 'e. The rabbit fairy didn't know what had happened, so she asked a nearby god who guarded the Tianmen. After hearing what happened to her, Rabbit Fairy felt that Chang 'e had suffered innocently and sympathized with her. But my strength is meager, what can I do to help? How lonely and sad it was to think that Chang 'e was alone in the moon palace. If only there were company, suddenly she thought of her four daughters, and she flew home at once.
Rabbit fairy told the female rabbit what happened to Chang 'e and said that she wanted to send a child to keep Chang 'e company. Although the female rabbit deeply sympathizes with Chang 'e, she is reluctant to part with her precious daughter, which is equivalent to cutting off the flesh of her heart! Several daughters are reluctant to leave their parents, and they are all in tears. The male rabbit said earnestly, "if I am locked up alone, will you accompany me?" Chang 'e was tied up in order to save the people. Can we not sympathize with her? Son, we can't just think of ourselves! "
The children understood their father's heart and expressed their willingness to go. The male and female rabbits smiled with tears in their eyes. They decided to let their youngest daughter go.
Xiaoyu Rabbit bid farewell to her parents and sisters and went to the Moon Palace to live with Chang 'e!
Xuanzong roamed the moon palace
In the Tang Dynasty, the most legendary is the legend of the Night Palace. According to legend, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Shen Tianshi and Taoist Hongdu all looked at the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Suddenly Xuanzong had the idea of visiting the Moon Palace, so Tianshi did it. As soon as they started, the three of them went to Qingyun and wandered around the Moon Palace, but the palace was heavily guarded and could not enter, so they could only overlook the imperial city of Chang 'an from the outside. At this moment, they suddenly heard fairy sounds, beautiful and wonderful, and moving! Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was always familiar with melody, so he memorized it in his heart. This is precisely "this song should only be in the sky, how can it be heard on earth!" In the future, Xuanzong recalled the music and singing of Xiane in the Moon Palace, and composed music and choreographed it himself. This is the famous "Nitang Feather Song" in history.
The legend of moon cakes
Moon cakes symbolize reunion, and they are necessary sacrifices for the Mid-Autumn Festival and the worship of the land gods. The custom of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival was handed down from the late Yuan Dynasty.
According to legend, people in the Central Plains were unwilling to be ruled by Mongols at that time, and people with lofty ideals all wanted to revolt against the Yuan Dynasty. However, they wanted to integrate the forces of resistance, but they were unable to deliver news. So Liu Bowen tried to spread rumors of a plague and asked people to buy moon cakes to eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival to avoid disaster. Everyone bought moon cakes and cut them open when they came home. There was a note hidden inside that said "Uprising on the 15th of August", so people responded one after another, thus overthrowing the Yuan Dynasty in one fell swoop. Therefore, moon cakes have become the appropriate food for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Mid-autumn festival custom
Sacrificing the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival is a very old custom in China. According to historical records, as early as the Zhou Dynasty, ancient emperors had the custom of offering sacrifices to the sun at the vernal equinox, to the ground at the summer solstice, to the moon at the autumn equinox and to heaven at the winter solstice. Its places of worship are called Ritan, Ditan, Yuetan and Tiantan. It is located in four directions: southeast and northwest. The moon altar in Beijing is the place where the emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties sacrificed the moon. "Book of Rites" contains: "The son of heaven is in the spring and the sun is shining, and the autumn is in the evening. The DPRK, the evening of the moon. " The evening of the moon here refers to offering sacrifices to the moon at night. This custom is not only pursued by the court and the upper nobility, but also gradually affects the people with the development of society.
Scholars admire the moon
The custom of enjoying the moon comes from offering sacrifices to the moon, and serious sacrifices have become relaxed pleasures. Folk Mid-Autumn Festival activities began in Wei and Jin Dynasties, but they did not become a habit. In the Tang Dynasty, it was quite popular to enjoy and play with the moon in the Mid-Autumn Festival, and many poets wrote poems about the moon in their masterpieces. By the time of the Song Dynasty, a Mid-Autumn Festival centered on the activities of appreciating the moon was formed and officially designated as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Different from the Tang people, the Song people appreciate the moon more because they feel hurt by things, and often use rain or shine as a metaphor for human affairs. Even on the Mid-Autumn night, the clear light of the bright moon can't hide the sadness of the Song people. But for the Song people, the Mid-Autumn Festival has another form, that is, it is a secular and joyful festival: "Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, all the shops sold new wine, and your family decorated pavilions, and the people competed for the restaurant to play with the moon, and the songs were heard thousands of miles away, and the play continued until dawn" (Dream of China in Tokyo). The Mid-Autumn Festival in the Song Dynasty is a sleepless night. The night market is open all night, and there are endless tourists playing with the moon.
Folk Yue Bai
After the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the relationship of the times, the practical utilitarian factors in social life were prominent, and the secular interest in Japan and China was rich in the new year. The lyrical and mythical literati tradition centered on "appreciating the moon" weakened, and utilitarian worship, prayer and secular feelings and wishes constituted the main form of the Mid-Autumn Festival custom of ordinary people. Therefore, "folk Yue Bai" has become people's longing for reunion, recreation and happiness; Send love by month.
"burning pagoda"
In a few places, there is a custom of burning pagodas during the Mid-Autumn Festival. When night falls and moonlight is everywhere, friends come to the open space in front of and behind the house, pick up broken bricks and tiles, pile up small pagodas, and set up large pagodas in some large open spaces or squares, similar to the main tower, which is hollow and stuffed with firewood. Adults often come to participate in such activities with great interest. Especially for some old people, they will put a small altar in front of the pagoda, with round offerings such as moon cakes, sweet lotus roots, oranges and grapefruit on the table, and light incense and candles. When all the pagodas were piled up, someone shouted, "light the fire", so they lit the firewood in the pagodas together, and the red flame rose and the sparks exploded. Soon, the pagodas burned red inside and outside, very spectacular and beautiful.
Legend has it that this custom is related to the righteous act of resisting the Yuan soldiers. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the Han people were subjected to bloody rule, so the Han people made unyielding resistance, and all localities met for the Mid-Autumn Festival and lit a trumpet on the top floor of the pagoda. Similar to the fire at the peak platform, although this resistance was suppressed, the custom of burning pagodas remained. This legend is similar to the legend of eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Moonlight horse
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the image of the Moon God changed greatly, from the early pure Taoist moon palace with Chang 'e as the main image to the secular image of the Moonlight Bodhisattva and the Jade Rabbit. During this period, people dedicated the moonlight paper with the moonlight bodhisattva painted on it, also called "moonlight horse". Fucha Dunchong's Time of Yanjing (1906). Records: "Moonlight horse-riding, with paper as it, painted on the Taiyin Star King, such as Bodhisattva statue, painted on the Moon Palace and the rabbit with medicine. People stand up and hold the pestle, and the algae are exquisite and resplendent, and they sell more in the market. The elder is seven or eight feet, the shorter is two or three feet, and there are two flags on the top, red, green, basketry or yellow, which are offered to the moon. Burn incense and salute, and burn it with thousands of pieces and ingots. "
Tuyeer
Male prostitute originated in the late Ming Dynasty. Ji Kun, a Ming dynasty (living around 1636), wrote The Remaining Draft of Kao Pavilion: "The Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing is mostly in the shape of a mud rabbit, dressed like a man, and worshipped by children." By the Qing Dynasty, the function of male prostitute had changed from offering sacrifices to the moon to children's Mid-Autumn Festival toys. The production is becoming more and more exquisite, some dressed as military commanders wearing armor and robes, some with paper flags or umbrellas on their backs, or sitting or standing. Sitting, there are unicorn, tiger and leopard and so on. There are also vendors dressed as rabbit heads, or shaving masters, or sewing shoes, selling wonton and tea soup.
"Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the clever people in the city use loess to make a toad and rabbit image for sale, which is called male prostitute." In the old days, there was often a stall in male prostitute in the area of Dongsi Pailou, which sold male prostitute for the Mid-Autumn Festival. In addition, Nanzhi Store and incense sticks are also available for sale. This male prostitute, through the bold creation of folk artists, has been personalized. It is the head of a rabbit, holding a jade pestle. Later, some people modeled male prostitute as a warrior with golden helmet and shining armor, some riding beasts such as lions and elephants, and some riding birds such as peacocks and cranes. Male prostitute riding a tiger, in particular, is a strange thing, but it is a bold creation of folk artists. There is also a kind of male prostitute whose elbow joint and mandible can move, commonly known as "Ba Da Zui", which is more pleasing. Although it is Yue Bai's offering, it is really a wonderful toy for children.
On the streets of Beijing a few decades ago, old Beijing, who was over 60 years old, could still remember it. After July 15th, male prostitute's stall was put out. Male prostitute stalls are everywhere, big and small, high and low, and they are very lively.
Bo cake
There is also the custom of eating rich cakes in Xiamen. Put six stocks in a big bowl, and according to the number of red ideas, there are six grades of awards: one show, two moves, four advances, three reds, opposite hall and the first prize.
Yue Bai custom of offering sacrifices to the moon for ethnic minorities.
The custom of offering sacrifices to the moon and Yue Bai is also popular among ethnic minorities. On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, the Dai people in Yunnan are popular with the custom of "Yue Bai". According to Dai legend, the moon was changed by the third son of the Emperor. Yan Jian is a brave and strong young man. He led the Dai people to defeat the enemy and won the love of the Dai people. Later, after his unfortunate death, he became the moon, rose to the sky, and continued to emit soft moonlight, bringing light to the Dai people in the dark. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, young men bring gunpowder guns to the mountains early in the morning to shoot fire finches and pheasants and hunt holiday game. Girls and daughters-in-law are busy catching fish in lakes and ponds. They are all busy preparing the holiday dinner. The old lady is busy frying glutinous rice and cooking foods of different sizes. On each corner of the four tables, a glutinous rice round cake is placed, and a wick Leng Xiang is inserted into each cake. As soon as the moon rises above the mountain forest, Leng Xiang will be lit, and the whole family will begin to "Yue Bai". Then, put a gunpowder gun on the air to show respect for the hero's rock tip. Finally, the whole family happily sat around the small square table, tasting food, laughing and enjoying the moon, and having fun.
Oroqen people put a basin of clear water in the open space when offering sacrifices to the moon, then knelt in front of the basin and bowed to the moon; The Tu people filled a basin with clear water and put the reflection of the moon in the basin. Then, people kept hitting the moon in the basin with pebbles, commonly known as "hitting the moon"; The activity of "offering sacrifices to the moon and asking God" of Zhuang nationality in western Guangxi is more typical. Every year in the middle of August in the summer calendar, some of them are in the mid-autumn night. People set up a altar in the open air at the end of the village for offering sacrifices and incense burners. On the right side of the table, a branch or bamboo branch about one foot high symbolizes the community tree, and it is also a ladder for the moon god to descend to heaven. Here, the ancient moon myth factor is preserved. The whole activity is divided into: invite the moon god to descend to earth, with one or two women as the spokesperson of the moon god; God and man sing to each other; Luna divination fortune-telling; There are four stages for the singer to sing a mantra song and send the moon god back to heaven.
Moon cakes are round on August 15th.
On Mid-Autumn Festival, people eat moon cakes to show "reunion". Moon cakes, also known as Hu cakes, palace cakes, moon groups, harvest cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are offerings to worship the moon god in ancient Mid-Autumn Festival. According to historical records, as early as 3,000 years ago, in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, there was a "Taishi cake" in memory of Taishi Wen Zhong. In the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian sent a mission to the Western Regions, introduced walnuts and sesame seeds, and a round "Hu cake" with walnut kernel as the stuffing appeared. When Tang Gaozong was in China, Li Jing went to the Xiongnu and returned home triumphantly in the Mid-Autumn Festival. At that time, a Tibetan businessman presented Hu cakes, and Li Yuan was very happy. He pointed the Hu cakes at the bright moon in the sky and said, "We should invite toads (the moon) to Hu cakes." Then give it to the ministers to eat. If this is true, this may be the beginning of sharing moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival. However, the word "moon cake" was first found in Hong Ling cakes made by Wu Zimu in the Southern Song Dynasty. Moon cakes are round, and the time when they are endowed with the meaning of reunion is the Ming Dynasty. Liu Dong's "A Brief Introduction to the Scenery of the Imperial Capital" says: "On August 15th, when the moon is sacrificed, its fruit cakes will be round." Tian Rucheng's Notes on Visiting the West Lake said: "August 15th is called Mid-Autumn Festival, and people also take mooncakes as a symbol of reunion." In Miscellaneous Notes of Wan Department, Shen Bang also described the grand occasion of making moon cakes in Beijing during the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Ming Dynasty: all the people in the Fang Dynasty "made moon cakes with different sizes, so they were called moon cakes. The market is even filled with fruit, and the name is different. There is a cake worth hundreds of dollars. " Ingenious cake-making workers are surprisingly renovated, and various patterns are made on the moon cakes. Peng Yunzhang's "Youzhou Folk Songs" describes: "The moon palace symbol is painted as a jade rabbit kiln dwelling; Moon palace cake, made of silver toad purple house shadow. A pair of toad rabbits are all over the world, regretting the year when Chang 'e stole medicine; I can't go back to the cold, and I am in Danyan. "
In the Qing Dynasty, eating moon cakes in the Mid-Autumn Festival has become a common custom, and the production skills are getting higher and higher. Yuan Mei, a Qing dynasty, introduced in Suiyuan Food List: "Crispy moon cakes are filled with pine nuts, walnuts, melon seeds, rock sugar and lard, which are not sweet, fragrant, soft and greasy, which is unusual." Moon cakes in Beijing are the first made by Qianmen Zhimeizhai. Throughout the country, five flavor series of Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Guangzhou and Chaozhou have been formed, and many local folk customs have also emerged around the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yue Bai and enjoying the moon. For example, the "Buzhuangyuan" in Jiangnan: the moon cake is cut into three pieces, big, medium and small, stacked together, and the largest one is placed below, which is the "champion"; The medium is placed in the middle, which is the "second place"; The smallest one is on the top, which is "exploring flowers". Then the whole family rolls dice, and whoever has the most numbers is the champion, eating large pieces; In turn, it is the second place, exploring flowers, and playing games for fun.
Play with lanterns and dance with fire dragons.
Mid-Autumn Festival, there are many game activities, the first is to play with lanterns. Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the three major lantern festivals in China, so we should play with lanterns on holidays. Of course, there is no large lantern festival in Mid-Autumn Festival like Lantern Festival, and playing with lanterns is mainly between families and children.
As early as the Southern Song Dynasty, in the Old Wulin Story, it was recorded that the Mid-Autumn Festival was a custom, and there was an activity of "putting a little red lamp into the river to drift and play". Playing lanterns in the Mid-Autumn Festival is mostly concentrated in the south. For example, at the aforementioned Foshan Autumn Festival, there were all kinds of colorful lights: sesame lights, eggshell lights, wood shavings lights, straw lights, fish scales lights, chaff lights, melon seeds lights and flowers and trees lights of birds and animals, which were amazing.
In Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other places, Mid-Autumn Festival activities will be held on Mid-Autumn Night, and the trees will be erected, which means that the lights will be erected high. With the help of their parents, children make rabbit lanterns, carambola lanterns or square lanterns out of bamboo paper, hang them horizontally in short poles, and then erect them on high poles. They are high-tech and colorful, adding another scene to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Children often compete with each other to see who stands tall and much taller, and the lights are the most exquisite. In addition, there are sky lanterns, that is, Kongming lanterns, which are made of paper and tied into large lights. Candles are burned under the lights, and the hot air rises, making the lights fly in the air and attracting people to laugh and chase. In addition, there are all kinds of lanterns carried by children to enjoy in the lower reaches of the moon.
In Nanning, Guangxi, in addition to all kinds of lanterns tied with paper and bamboo for children to play with, there are also simple sleeve lanterns, pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns. The so-called grapefruit lamp is to hollow out the grapefruit to create a simple pattern, put on a rope, and light a candle inside, and the light is elegant. Pumpkin lanterns and orange lanterns are also made by removing the pulp. Although simple, it is easy to make and very popular. Some children also float oil lanterns into the pool water to play games.
There is a simple autumn lantern in Guangxi, which is made of six bamboo strips tied into a lamp, pasted with white gauze paper and inserted with candles. Hang it on the moon-offering table for the moon-offering, or for children to play with.
Nowadays, in many areas of Guangxi and Guangdong, lantern festivals are arranged in mid-autumn night, large modern lanterns illuminated by electric lights are made, and all kinds of new lanterns made of plastic are used for children to play, but the simplicity of the old lanterns is missing.
In addition, the game of burning tile lanterns (or burning flower tower, burning tile tower and burning fan tower) is widely circulated in the south, and it has been circulated in Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi. For example, in Volume 5 of "Records of Chinese National Customs": "On Mid-Autumn Night in Jiangxi, children usually pick up tiles in the wild and pile them into a round tower with holes. At dusk, burn it in a firewood tower under the bright moon. As soon as the tiles burn red, then pour kerosene on the fire, and suddenly the fields are red and shine like day. Until late at night, when no one is watching, it begins to pour interest, which is a famous burning tile lamp. " The tile-burning tower in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province is also a hollow tower made of bricks and tiles, which is filled with branches and burned. At the same time, it also burns smoke piles, that is, piles of grass and firewood are burned after the end of Yue Bai. The Burning Fan Tower in the border area of Guangxi is similar to this kind of activity, but the folklore is to commemorate the heroic battle of Liu Yongfu, a famous anti-French fighter in the Qing Dynasty, who burned the ghost (French invader) who escaped into the tower, which is quite patriotic. There is also a "burning tower boy" activity in Jinjiang, Fujian.
Dancing the dragon is the most traditional custom of Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival. From the evening of the 14th day of the eighth lunar month every year, a grand dragon dance has been held for three consecutive nights in the Tai Hang area of Causeway Bay. This fire dragon is more than 70 meters long, and it is tied into a 32-section dragon body with pearl grass, which is full of longevity incense. On the night of the grand event, the streets and alleys in this area, a series of winding and undulating fire dragons danced with joy under the light and dragon drum music, which was very lively.
There is also a legend about the origin of Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Dance Fire Dragon: A long time ago, after a typhoon attack in Dakeng District, a python appeared and did evil everywhere. The villagers searched everywhere and finally killed it. Unexpectedly, the python disappeared the next day. A few days later, a plague broke out in the pit. At this time, the elders in the village suddenly got a dream from the Bodhisattva, saying that as long as the fire dragon is danced in the Mid-Autumn Festival, the plague can be driven away. By coincidence, it actually worked. Since then, the dragon dance has been passed down to this day.
No matter how superstitious this legend is, China is the hometown of dragons, and it has been more than 100 years since the Mid-Autumn Festival in Tai Hang, which is worth cherishing. Nowadays, the fire dragon dance activities in Dakeng District are quite large, including the head coach, coach, general commander and conductor, the security team and so on. More than 30,000 people take turns dancing dragons.
Mid-Autumn Festival customs in various places
Courtship and prayer
The Mid-Autumn Festival is full of poetry because of the wonderful moonlight. Under the moon, it is the best time for young men and women to find a spouse, so it is also a festival to pursue love. Young men and women dance and play under the moon, and they can become spouses when they meet the right person. In modern times, such ancient customs still exist and are full of interest.
Throw a handkerchief to attract relatives
In some areas of Fujian province, there is a custom of throwing a handkerchief to attract relatives on Mid-Autumn Festival night. That night, a colorful platform was set up in the square, decorated in the shape of a moon palace, and jade rabbits and osmanthus trees were set up. Some unmarried girls dressed as Chang 'e. After celebrating the song and dance, the girls threw handkerchiefs embroidered with different colors to the audience. If the handkerchief received by the audience is the same color as that in the hands of Chang 'e, you can take the stage to receive the prize. When some unmarried boys return handkerchiefs, if they are liked by Chang 'e, they can give them rings. Since then, the two sides can make friends, and the lovers will tie the knot.
Begging for the moon, shining on it and climbing it.
In the old days, some women in Dongguan believed that "Yue Lao was the matchmaker". Anyone who had adult men and women at home but no Mr Right could burn incense and candles under the moon in the middle of the Mid-Autumn Festival night and beg Yue Lao to fix them up. According to legend, quiet moonlight on Mid-Autumn Festival night can make women pregnant. In some areas, on the Mid-Autumn Festival moonlit night, some infertile women who have been married for a long time go out and bathe in the moonlight, hoping to have a baby early, which is called "according to the moon".
Steal vegetables and beg for lang.
In Taiwan Province, there is a custom that unmarried women "steal food to beg for a husband" on Mid-Autumn Night. The beautifully decorated woman stepped in the moonlight and stole onions and vegetables from other people's vegetable gardens. After stealing them,
It indicates that she can meet Mr. Right. Therefore, Taiwan Province has "stealing onions and marrying a good husband; The proverb "stealing vegetables and marrying a good husband".
Dong people's stealing moon dishes
On the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Dong Township, Hunan Province, an interesting custom of "stealing moon dishes" is popular.
According to legend, in ancient times, on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, fairies in the Moon Palace were coming to the lower world, and they sprinkled nectar all over the world. Fairy's nectar is selfless, so people can enjoy fruits and vegetables sprinkled with nectar this night. The Dong family named this custom "stealing moon dishes".
On the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, Dong girls use flower umbrellas to pick melons and vegetables from their beloved garden, without being regarded as "stealing". They also deliberately shouted: "Hey! Your melons and vegetables have been ripped away by me. Come to my house to eat camellia oleifera! " It turns out that they are passing the red line with the help of the Moon Palace Fairy. If you can pick a melon and fruit, it means that they can have a happy love. Therefore, the beans that grow in pairs have become the object of their picking. Sister-in-law also went to other gardens to "steal moon dishes" that night, but they hoped to get the fattest melon or a handful of fresh and green edamame, because it symbolizes the fatness of children and the health of hairy heads (the homonym of edamame refers to children). Boys also have the custom of "stealing moon dishes" because they also hope that the moon fairy will give them happiness. However, they can only cook and eat in the wild, and can't take them home. "Stealing moon dishes" adds infinite joy and magical splendor to the Mid-Autumn Festival night in Dong Village.
Miao people's jumping on the moon
Every Mid-Autumn Festival night, the bright moonlight shines all over the Miao cottage. After the Miao men and women get together, they all go to the open space in the forest to sing and dance and hold a "jumping on the moon" activity.
According to an ancient Miao legend, Moon is a loyal, honest, hardworking and brave young man. There was a beautiful young girl named Shuiqing, who turned down 99 young men from Jiujiuzhou who proposed to her and fell in love with the moon. Finally, she also experienced all kinds of hardships made by the sun, and finally happily combined with the moon.
In memory of their happy love, Miao parents have been dancing Miao songs and dances on the Mid-Autumn Festival night for generations, bathed in the glory of the moon, and called this custom "jumping on the moon". Young men and women look for each other's sweetheart and pour out their affection in the "jumping on the moon", saying that they should be as pure and bright as the water and the moon, and they will always have a good relationship.
On Mid-Autumn Night, the custom of seeking children is still prevalent in many places. This is the embodiment of ancient fertility worship. This is because the moon belongs to the yin, the female god, and at the same time there are activities to pursue love, so the custom of seeking children is spread in the Mid-Autumn Festival custom. The custom of seeking children varies from place to place.
Stealing melons and praying for children
In Hengyang, Hunan Province, there is a "Mid-Autumn Festival night, there is a delivery of melons". Where Xi Feng lives in the original home and marries a woman who has been infertile for several years, relatives and friends hold a melon delivery. A few days ago, he steals a melon in the vegetable garden, so that the owner of the garden does not know it, and it is painted in color, and the clothes are wrapped around it in human form. Give a long life to those who are good at it, "ring a golden bell and shoot a gun, and send it to their home." Older people put wax gourd on the bed to be covered, and when they read the sun in the door, they will reap what they sow. Those who suffer from melons hold a grand banquet to entertain them, if it happens again. When a woman gets a melon, she cuts it off. As the saying goes, the story is the best ".In Hengyang, anyone who is married and has no children in the village," as long as the popularity is good, someone in the village will give them a "gift".
In other parts of Hunan, there is also a custom of giving children with melons. Similar to Hengyang, on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, when the host is not in the house while enjoying the moon, his good neighbors secretly send children for him. The person who sent the child must be someone who already has children. They first selected the melon round of the worst family in the village, stole a big wax gourd from the garden, painted the face of the doll on the melon, and then inserted a small bamboo tube five inches long into the belly of the wax gourd, and filled it with water along the bamboo tube until it was full. The sender hides the wax gourd in the master's bed, and when the master goes back to his room to sleep, he pulls the quilt with his hand. When the wax gourd doll moves, the water will flow out along the bamboo tube, just like a child wetting the bed. People who throw melons get up early in the morning and scold them. It is said that the more fierce they scold, the stronger the dolls will be in the future. If children are born in the second year, they are asked to worship the giver "michel platini" and "dopted mother".
In Guizhou, there is also the custom of stealing melons and giving away children. When you steal melons at night, you deliberately let the stolen people know, so as to provoke a scolding. The worse the scolding, the better. After the melon is stolen, you should put on clothes and paint eyebrows for it, pretend to be a child's shape, beat gongs and drums, carry it with bamboo tools, and send it to a childless family. Those who accept the melon must invite the person who sent it to eat a moon cake, then sleep with the melon for one night, and cook it the next morning, thinking that they can get pregnant from now on.
In Shexian County, Anhui Province, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, adults let the young children's melons or the mother-in-law taro with the mother's belt be put into the quilt of the newlyweds, making the mattress extremely dirty. In this way, the sender is represented. There is a poem that says, "It's a beautiful talk to send a child to the Mid-Autumn Festival. Guading taro is always suitable for men. Innocent people cherish HongLing's quilt the most, and dragging their feet with water is a shame. "